Night On the Riviera
by Mein Liebling
Summary: "May I know your name?" The beautiful girl asked, holding her wine-glass daintily in one hand. "Blaise," Blaise said, taking the female's offered hand and pressing a light kiss on it. "And your name, bella?" She giggled softly. "I'm Dominique, it's a pleasure to meet you, Blaise." Blaise smiled as he leaned a little closer to the girl. "The pleasure's all mine, Dominique." Dom/Bla


_"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." - Rick, Casablanca (1942)._

Blaise Zabini enjoyed the quiet, peaceful life he had in the warm and cheerful town of Florence. After the war had ended, and the Light side had won (He didn't know how he was supposed to feel about that. When given the news, he just shrugged, although the Slytherin would never admit that he did something so… common), he traveled back home to Italy, where his paternal Grandfather (of his actual father, of course) insisted he take up some sort of job involving actual work.

"You can't just sit around drinking tea and spending money all day," Feliciano Roma Zabini told his favourite and only Grandson. "Someone has to earn that money, and I'll be damned if I didn't get you out of that Pureblood cycle of England. Those _idioti _British people do not understand the world around them, and hide like the little _stolti _they are."

This led to Blaise working part-time at a small little wizarding café (or more of a pub, when the night came around and all the witches and wizards caught the 'Night Fever') right on the river Arno, chatting with the locals and charming the hearts of the young witches and wizards that often visited the little restaurant. It wasn't a bad life, the dark skinned man would admit to his Grandfather, and it was certainly a no big deal job. No one from Hogwarts or England would even _imagine _someone would live someplace out of its grasp, so Blaise was saved from the stares and glares of his previous peers- probably for not doing anything, for being neutral. (You would think that they believed he murdered puppies and was a Death Eater, with how much discrimination the boy got.)

He had spent over a decade working around the café, doing jobs for the neighborhood old folks, and for once in his life, felt extremely content with how he was doing. It was not a life in luxury- Feliciano Zabini rented out an apartment in a Wizarding complex so Blaise would become more humbled, not that Blaise himself felt like he was a spoiled brat- or any days of Gucci and Prada (although he had become quite famous for being asked if he wanted to become a model, and was considered to have the 'fashion sense of a god'. Blaise refused that out of modesty) were long over.

It was… oddly satisfying.

But then it became the day.

More particularly,_ the_ night.

It was a normal warm evening at Il Bel Fiore Caffè; the younger families leaving to set their children to bed, the old grandmothers and fathers finding some of their friends to walk home with, and the older people on dates slowly departing from one another with hugs and kisses.

That's when the café changed.

The older patrons came in, fancy wine, beer, and alcohol passed around as the men and woman tried to seduce clients or just random people sitting up at the bar.

This was when Blaise had met _her, _when he volunteered for the night shift.

She was divine. A beauty. One of the most gorgeous girls the Italian ever had the pleasure of meeting.

So naturally, the smooth-talking man had to introduce himself to her. "Ciao," the dark skinned man said charmingly. "Welcome to the White House-" (as that was what the café was known as at night) "How exactly can I help such a beautiful woman like yourself?"

The blonde let herself give a coy smile as she leaned over the counter towards the older man. "Oh, I don't know." She breathed. "What exactly would you recommend?"

Blaise smiled as he reached skillfully towards a crystal wine-glass, before walking over towards the wine cabinet. He quickly poured some smooth dark wine into the cup before handing it back over to the woman- 'accidentally' letting his fingers touch hers.

"This is one of our finest wines- over ten years old." The beautiful woman took a sip and gasped. "I hope you enjoy it."

"This is absolutely wonderful!" The blue eyed (possibly model, Blaise thought as he eyed her) bella took another sip and sighed in delight.

Blaise watched her from the corner of his eye as he fixed another patron their drink, before heading back over to the woman.

"May I know your name?" The beautiful girl asked, holding her wine-glass daintily in one hand.

"Blaise," Blaise said, taking the female's offered hand and pressing a light kiss on it. "And your name, bella?"

She giggled softly. "I'm Dominique, it's a pleasure to meet you, Blaise."

Blaise smiled as he leaned a little closer to the girl. "The pleasure's all mine, Dominique."

Dominique allowed herself a smile as she brought her drink back up to her lips and took a long sip.

"So," Blaise watched her with interest as her beautiful blue eyes flickered over to look at him. "What exactly is such a gorgeous girl like yourself doing in some place like this?"

Dominique set down her glass with a barely audible 'Clink', and leaned her chin on her palms, staring adoringly up at the dark skinned man.

"Mmm," she hummed. "My aunt and uncle came here for their anniversary and allowed me to come, since I am now of age. Italy is absolutely beautiful; it's such a wonderfully different place then England."

Blaise nodded as he refilled her glass. "I never liked England, which is why I haven't moved back since the war."

Dominique didn't look surprised as she took another shot of the alcohol. "I could tell from your accent," she replied. "What exactly can you tell me about Italy? I've only been here for a day, and I would love to have someone to show me around…"

The Italian smirked as he took a sip from Dominique's glass of wine, the girl not even protesting. "I would love to show you around, bella."

Dominique held out her hand as she deposited three galleons on the counter of the bar. "Would it be rude to start now?"

Blaise shook his head as he grasped the younger girl's hand, yelling something out to his co-worker in rapid Italian. The man answered back just as quickly, and Blaise nodded.

"Let's go," The older man told her.

The duo left the café/bar and began travelling down the river's side, gondolas and musicians adding to the atmosphere. They walked for an hour, Blaise telling Dominique all the important and interesting places to go in the city, before Dominique told Blaise she should probably get back before her aunt and uncle got worried.

"Would you mind walking back to the hotel with me, Blaise?" The seventeen year old batted her eyes at the wizard, and he shook his head. "Not at all, bella."

It was one of the small and cutesy family-owned hotels that dotted the neighborhoods, warm and welcoming as the clock drew nearer to midnight.

Two figures stood outside of the hotel in a short conversation, and when they caught sight of Dominique and the other man, they waved them over.

"Dominique!" Ginny Weasley-Potter hugged her niece close to her. "I was beginning to get worried."

Dominique smiled and giggled. "Don't worry, Aunt Ginny. Blaise walked me home."

Harry Potter narrowed his eyes slightly. "Wh- Oh."

Blaise raised an eyebrow as his facial expression was cool. "Potter." He barely inclined his head.

Harry did the same thing. "Zabini."

The young blonde girl looked between the two men. "You two know each other?" She questioned.

Harry nodded. "Yes, Dom. Zabini was in my year at Hogwarts, in Slytherin. I didn't expect for you to be here though. No one knew where you were after you left Hogwarts."

Blaise rolled his eyes- although you couldn't tell in the darkness of the night. "That was the point, Potter."

There was a moment of awkward silence, before Dominique left her aunt's side to walk over to Blaise and hug him tightly, pressing a lingering kiss on his cheek. "We will see each other soon, right Blaise?" Her voice was soft- she couldn't do anymore with her family watching.

Blaise wrapped his arms around the lady and pressed his lips lightly against her forehead. "Of course. I'll see you soon, bella."

Harry's eyes could have been squinting as he watched the two's interaction. Dominique and Blaise left their embrace as the young girl returned to her family's side, watching as Blaise turned around and began to leave.

"Oi, Zabini!" The Savoir of the Wizarding World called out after his retreating back. Blaise froze in his movements, but didn't turn his head. "If you hurt my niece, I'll be going to kill you, you hear that?"

Ginny and Dominique moved to scold the boy, but Blaise's suave voice stopped them. "Dully noted, Potter."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the dark shadows of Florence.

* * *

**For the Travel to Go Challenge by **opaque-girl **using the prompts:**

Pairing: Ginny/Harry, Blaise/Dominique

Quote: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." - Rick, Casablanca (1942).

Phrase: White House

Word: Divine

Genre: Family

**For the If You Dare Challenge by **Slytherin Cat **using the prompt:**

20. Night Fever

* * *

**I don't own anything.**


End file.
